Salvation

Jadeflame

The beginning of something big.

14

APR/17

Lorday, 12 Deadtree, 6934 EY: The heroes continued their exploration of Opha'copa, the Jade Ziggurat. Their encounter with the basilisk was deadly and nearly defeated the team; however, the two who were turned to stone reverted back to normal upon the realization and learning that this was a lesser basilisk.

The group also encountered the undead remains of a naga, which guarded the crypts of Opha'copa. After taking out the guardian, Misae found a snakeskin cloak which she later identified as a cloak of protection.

The group then found the final gem needed to open the door, the Ruby of Shim, but had to fight a black pudding in order to claim it. After this combat, the group agreed to bar the door to the room they were in and risk spending a night in the ziggurat.

Although the group was not attacked, they were greeted by a visitor in the night; something attempted to get inside the room, but could not get through the barred door. This confirmed the groups' suspicion that something knew they were there.

Arday, 13 Deadtree, 6934 EY: The heroes took the four gems to the large door and inserted them into the slots that fit the puzzle. A mechanism ground the four gems into dust and shards; when the heroes picked up the shards, they discovered they had become infused with the Weave, and were Woven Relics now.

Upon entering the room, they found a massive chamber that housed a single object; an artifact crafted of gold that looked like an ornate sword hilt without a blade. It hovered in the air above an altar, and light shown down on it from a window above.

Just then, the group was ambushed by the troll that they had been hunting. The troll grabbed the hilt and attempted to wield it, but the weapon reacted to Ubah's presence, and a jade-colored flame erupted from the hilt. The troll, terrified of fire, threw the weapon aside, and charged into battle with just its claws.

Having prepared for this fight, the group made very short work of the troll. Arnold summoned a fire elemental and Taegon scored a very fortunate, gruesome, and critical hit on the troll. Ubah cautiously approached the weapon that seemed to call to him, and Tomren issued a word of warning, but it was too late: the hilt flew to Ubah's hand, and the flame blade burst forth. This summoned an intense booming sound that knocked everyone in the room prone except for Ubah. An enormous column of brilliant green light issued out of the sword and into the sky. Tomren also saw a vision of a man he thought he recognized. And then the ziggurat began trembling and collapsing.

The group made a desperate exit out of the ziggurat, but were stopped in the entry hallway by the guardian of the ziggurat: an opha named Tenoss. The group valiantly fought against Tenoss while the ziggurat threatened to consume them in collapse. They ducked and doged through falling debris and slew the serpentine creature. They made their daring escape just in time, as Opha'Copa exploded behind them. The debris knocked several members of the party unconscious, but all had survived. The enormous pillar of green light still existed, likely visible for miles around. Upon further recollection, Tomren knew the man's name to be Aethyr Phane, and that he had been one of the founders of the Towers of Ten. He also read the words inscribed upon Jadeflame, and knew them to be the words of one of the Towers, but could not recall which. Finally, each heard a voice in their head tell them the same message: It begins. Misae, however, did not hear a voice.

Truday, 14 Deadtree, 6934 EY: The group spent this day traveling back to Dunezar.

Norday, 15 Deadtree, 6934 EY: The group returns to Dunezar triumphant. They immediately travel to the Hunter's Take lodge to claim their money. Leodolf apologetically explained that he cannot issue payment because Floriano had yet to deliver the money as promised.

The group decided to seek Floriano out, but he beat him to the punch; the door to Leodolf's office open, and Floriano strode in with two of his lackeys. Floriano explained that he felt insulted by the group's unwillingness to help him immediately, and said he was only willing to pay half of what he agreed upon. Leodolf, a fan of contracts and rules, warned Floriano that that was not how the rules worked. Floriano then responded with a threat of violence. Leodolf, quicker than his appearance would suggest, produced two flintlock pistols and, with two shots, killed Floriano's men. Floriano produced a dagger, but Leodolf's blunderbuss was already in his hands; he shot over Tomren's shoulder, and the spray of shot hit Floriano's arm, causing him to drop his knife. Leodolf lit a cigar with one of the still-smoking pistol barrels and walked over to Floriano. He used Floriano's knife to carve out the shot, and then used the cigar to cauterize his wounds. He searched Floriano's person and found a bag of gold—an amount equal to the agreed-upon amount. Leodolf told Floriano he knew he would bring the full amount, because Floriano is a coward. He then demanded that Floriano leave, which he did. He turned the money over to the group, who were relieved to no longer have to worry about Floriano, at least for now.

Ruminating on what their next move should be, Tomren identified Jadeflame as an incredibly unique and powerful artifact that deserved further research. He realized then that, after all business had been resolved in Dunezar, the group had one place they needed to go for answers: the Library of Sjet in the country of Bratana, far to the south.